I have had many different types of homeschool students over
the years. Some students come to me with little to no outside classroom
experience and others learned about writing via programs like IEW. I've taught
students from public and private school who claimed they never wrote a complete
paper in English class while other students shared that they did write but the work
was never evaluated or returned graded.
Writing isn't an easy skill to teach, as many of you know.
Even as a writing teacher, I struggle at times with the detail and thought required
to teach students how to write. My students vary in ability, desire and
support. I often teach students whose parents confess to me that they don't
write well. Now with math, there's a solution to each problem and a path to
take to get to that solution. With writing, there's an expression for every
possible idea, but the numerous paths to those expressions means there's a lot
of room for errors!
I taught writing for the first time, in public school, at
the age of 22. I was responsible for teaching 125 4th and 5th
grade students, five classes each day of about 25 students, how to write well.
Most of these students hadn't written much more than a paragraph at that point
and they possessed limited grammar and spelling skills. At that time, whole
language had exploded in Florida classrooms, with all of the teachers trying
it. Honestly, it made me uncomfortable because it seemed like an easy out for
teachers while children wallowed in confusion. So, with the support of a
wonderful administrator, I sought a different path. I decided to teach writing
the way that I wrote…as a process.
The Writing Process certainly isn't my creation. Researchers actually suggested it in the 1970s. I utilized
when I was in high school, although I don't remember it ever being called a
process. Basically, the writing process organizes writing into a series of
steps each depending on the previous to result in a well-executed paper. I label the steps a bit differently than the original researchers (I am a bit more pragmatic, I think): choose a topic, take notes (research, if needed), create a thesis
statement and outline, write a draft based on your outline, edit your draft, write another draft, etc. Students who follow this process tend to be
required to write fewer drafts. Students who skip steps or don't utilize the
material created in the previous steps often find themselves struggling to
clearly articulate their ideas. I have been teaching for over twenty years (oh…that
was hard to say) and I haven't taught a student yet who couldn't successfully follow the
writing process.
Sometimes, particularly in education, we look for the new
and different route, something that will spark brilliance in our children. At
other times, we're just looking for a course that works for our families with
the least amount of stress. But from my experience, using the writing process,
going old school, builds a foundation for students that they can rely on for a
lifetime of writing. There aren't any catchy terms (an adjective is still just
an adjective) or secret tricks. It's just what makes sense.
One of my sweet elementary students came to class very
frustrated because she and mom had struggled with writing two assigned
paragraphs. I asked the student to take out her notes and her web outline. She pulled out her notes and then stared at
me with a blank expression. When I found the outline in her notebook, she
smiled and said "Ohhh…that's what that is." After reviewing the
outline, we realized that she needed a bit more material from her notes to make
it all work. So, she went to work. Once she finished her outline, I reminded
her of its purpose and for the first time, I think she really connected the
outline to the writing itself. Students often see an outline as just another
assignment rather than a tool. After the light bulb went on (love that look on
their faces when it happens!), she cheerfully wrote an outstanding five
sentence paragraph. It was impressive.
This student happens to be among my very
youngest and yet, with a little direction, she could see the logic in using the
notes to create the outline and using the outline to create the paragraphs. Some
of my high school students could learn a thing or two from her! The outline empowered her to write her paragraphs,
giving her confidence. She also had the real life experience of trying to write
without the outline and the frustration of not understanding why it wasn't all
working for her.
The Writing Process may seem outdated and almost basic to you.
Maybe you don't like the idea of having to follow steps to get a written
assignment from your child. "Just write what you think" is nearly
impossible for many children. They move into panic mode very quickly. The step
by step process allows them to grow in confidence and experience so that by the
time they're writing paragraphs, they have great command of the subject matter. So, even if you're a bit uncomfortable with the process of writing, sharing it with your children open new doors for them to express themselves in an organized manner.
Please leave a comment on this blog if you read the post.
It's nice to know when someone else has a thought about your writing…even if
it's not in agreement.
Next week, watch for why I don't allow "rough"
drafts in my classes.
Have a blessed weekend!
Many students focus on material in the moment, but have difficulty retaining it for when they need it most. They often don't realize the importance of of the habits of a lifelong learner until they're out of high school and desperately in need of those skills in college or at work. I want to give my CBB students the advantage of beneficial skills for the future, not just this school year.
Is it possible that as homeschool parents we're overloading our kids? This year I have observed a phenomena that is becoming more and more present in homeschooling...stressed out high school students. I see it in their faces and in their work, and even hear it in their words. Some of our children are feeling the impact of too many outside activities, too many classes and just too much going on. I've never had more students express to me that they just feel stressed out and overloaded. I even had an elementary student share with me the other day that he was exhausted from running from activity to activity. When I told him to share that with his mom, he just sighed.
I know that when my daughter, Ally, now 25, was in high school, we ran around like crazy, continually participating in 
